Gibsonburg 7/24 & 25

[posterboy]

Ok ! let's get this thing rolling  

The line at GBurg continues to grow !  Forty hearty Americans got up off the couch last weekend and ventured to the Great Black Swamp to drink from the Appleseed fire hose!  I 'd like to say Thanks for attending... YOU are why we do this.  

Believe me a real fire hose would have been appreciated because it was HOT... like 100 + heat index. The humidity was very swamp like as well and was close to 100%. Fortunately though we weren't hit by the predicted strong T storms.

We can't control the weather ...yet...although I hear FRED is hard at work on a device back at appleseed HQ called winterseed . We can control the improvement of rifle marksmanship however and we had a great group of students on the line that were extremely open minded and took to the appleseed methods with vigor. This simple step resulted in vast improvement from all on Saturday despite the stifling heat. They also got to hear their Heritage ! Saturday produced one rifleman.. Mark M with a 215. This gentlemen has been a pleasure to have at GBurg. This was his second AS and he took the 7th step to heart and brought two others back with him ! A true rifleman before he even crossed the 210 threshold ! Huzzah!

Sunday was cooler ! and overcast for most of the morning. The helm was left to me to guide the good ship appleseed home for the weekend. We did our redcoat and then zeroed rifles for the distance KD to come later than we jumped in to the AQT's. From the looks of targets from Saturday I knew that many would make it once rested from the sauna conditions of the day before. Three more joined the ranks of riflemen ...Jake  211..Bill 215 and Travis ..Mark's son with the very damp score of 210. Imagine that a family of riflemen ! Lunch ( Awesome Lisa had great eats ALL weekend) some more History then back to the AQT's and TWO more riflemen ! Robert at 210 and Dave ( sorry I forgot your score but it was more than 210 because I didn't dump water on you !!!.) I'll say this there were more knocking on the door with 185 + when they either ran out of gas or ammo and had to stop. Please come back ( the 2 Matt's, Brennon and all  you others..... you know who you are  ) You have everything to do it !

Because of a simultaneous event on a different range we had to shoot known distance at the end of the day. Soon those that survived the weekend were ringing steel at the rifleman's 1/4 Mile !!!! Garand's , Mosin's , AR's , M1a's even a .243 all sent accurate fire down range and smiles grew from ear to ear as shooters realized their new skill! I have to mention Kelly at this point. Kelly had come to the Memorial Day shoot. She had bought her rifle and had all kinds of equipment issues but she hung in there. I respected the fact that she came again. Many might have just given up with the frustration after a weekend of jams, ftf's and you name it ! She borrowed one of my LTR's this weekend and by Sunday's end was improving at light speed. Kelly stepped up to the 500 yrd line without ever having shot at distance nor handling an AR in her life and hit 3 of 3 with irons at a 1/4 mile !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This appleseed stuff really works....just ask Kelly.... I know she is still smiling !

It was my honor to have all of you at Gibsonburg this last weekend. It was also my Honor to share our Heritage and Marksmanship with each and everyone. I am especially proud of all the junior shooters who persevered through a tough,  hot weekend and thank you to the parents who knew it is important to bring them...Huzzah ! Please come back and be like Mark..bring someone. I promise that I'll kill all of the Jurassic sized horse flies as well..I'll even send some to the taxidermist to mount ....they were that big.


Until August..

posterboy

[posterboy]

Anyone else? Bueller? Bueller ?

[KAH]

Posterboy's AAR did a great job of summing up the weekend.  It was, in fact, an incredible event with no less than 6 Riflemen earning patches!

It was terrific to see not only quite a few newcomers, but several returning Appleseeders striving for the Patch (and many achieving their goal!).

The history was inspirational and thought provoking (get off the couch and get involved!!).  The "Dangerous Old Men", told by two brand new IIT's and a seasoned IIT were great. 

And of course Lisa's food was incredible.  Thanks to all those at the Club for allowing us to be a part this past weekend.

Congrats to the new Riflemen - it doesn't stop here - come back and bring friends, relatives, coworkers.  Now that you know...TEACH!

Fellow IIT's: Thanks for your help and assistance in my first AS as an IIT.  It was really rewarding to be a part of the Gibsonburg Gang for the weekend.

Special "shout out" to Blindman - the orange hat looks great, happy to have you as a fellow IIT!  I look forward to working with you again on the Trail.

Two young Patriots (Ben and Jacob) did an outstanding job of persevering despite the heat, humidity, and some mechanical issues.  Both young men focused on learning the basics: Safety rules, Six steps to firing the shot, NPOA, and the rifleman's bubble!  They GOT IT and it was a special pleasure to work with them and watch them grow from the experience.  Both commented that they liked the history as well as the shooting.  Thanks to both of their fathers for bringing them out.  I look forward to seeing them at future Appleseed events!

Attached are a few photos from the event.  If anyone else has some (I know Dangerous D took a few) please feel free to post them as well.




kah

[Dangerous D]

Here are some more photos from the Gburg weekend.  Somehow it doesn't look nearly as HOT as it really was

It was great working with shooters, orange hats, red hats, and green hats alike.

[Ms. Steelcore]

Yessss PB, I AM still smiling!!!
I wanted to burn my sling after the first weekend in May, i could not get used to that armsling.
And all of the problems you already mentioned previously.
It is ALOT to absorb that first weekend.
I almost did give up that first Sunday afternoon, but thanks to the instructors, they actually helped me to keep going. And i'm glad i did.
The second weekend, this one, again with the problems, but your LTR made doing the commands much easier.
Thank you for the loaner.
After i finally got used to the armsling, thanks to Fuzzymath-as i had it on my arm not quite right, i finally started settling in with it and started improving.
My first AQT score was only 85. By the end of Sunday, i bumped it up to 158. eh, i was happy with the progress.
But it was that darned ole 500 yard range, when i made those hits, that really sent me into outter space. In a good way. It made all of that frustration worth while. And I was so glad i stuck it out.
Thank you everyone for another great weekend of shooting, despite the frustration and hellish heat.

Ms. Steelcore
(Kelly)

[Ms. Steelcore]

ok, i hope this works, posting one pick i have of this weekend,

Ms. Steelcore

[Gordon]

It was a great shoot. The weather was indeed a bit of a challenge on Saturday, but everyone kept such a good attitude. Thank you, shooters!

One regret I have is that I didn't keep track of people's names very well. I spent Saturday at one end of the line, and Sunday at the other, and saw all kinds of excellent shooting and improvement, and had many significant interactions with individual shooters. But I just didn't track names! Kinda embarassing. So I can't easily make the references to individuals the way I'd like to. But, remembering the quote by Edmund Burke, which gets used a lot, and aptly, in Appleseed, ""No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." So I'll do what I can.

It was great seeing Eva and Jeff on the line again, whom I remember from Williamston in March. Eva and Jeff, thanks for bringing your friends Allison and her husband. I hope you four enjoyed it, found some challenge and inspiration, and will be back again to an Appleseed soon. Persistence is the key to the Rifleman patch, and I know you'll get there!

Betsy, glad you came out, next time make your husband do more than prep mags. Like, come out and shoot!

Kelly thanks for bringing Joe out. Now that you know how to use a sling, will you teach him?

Shawn and Shelia, nice seeing you as always. Sheila, keep it up, your groups were lookin' good

Austin as far as I remember,  you have the right info and more importantly the right attitude. Maybe there's some internal breakthrough that you're looking for, like focus the eye on the front sight. Or maybe it's just a matter of practice -- persistence.

There were a lot of shooters making good progress, you know who you are. Pretty much everyone, actually, in some way or other, made progress. Again, I'm falling short with names, for which I apologize. In particular, I'd like to thank the guy whom I met at Clelands who came out. If you read this, send me a PM.

Lisa and Troy, thanks for the tremendous logistical help and service.

-FM

[Gordon]

... borrowed one of my LTR's this weekend and by Sunday's end was improving at light speed. Kelly stepped up to the 500 yrd line without ever having shot at distance nor handling an AR in her life and hit 3 of 3 with irons at a 1/4 mile !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This appleseed stuff really works....just ask Kelly.... I know she is still smiling !

...

Yes, it's true, "Ms Steelcore" had some breakthroughs on Sunday, which really paid off on the 500. Congratulation, Ms Steelcore!

[posterboy]

Welcome to the forums Ms. Steelcore !

and way to persist.!!

pb

[Blindman]

Greeting to all my Appleseed Brethern and Sisters.
 Coming before you now sporting a stylish orange hat, and still coming off of an All-American super-charge of a weekend as Gibsonburg forges six new rifleman, and I take yet another step on the journey of self discovery that is Appleseed.
 Contacting Posterboy days before the Aug Appleseed, he asked me if I might consider putting aside my LTR for a few AQT's to assist here and there, as needed. I was only too happy to agree, thinking it was a chance to try on the coveted Orange hat before I took the full jump, in case I be judged unworthy. Only upon arrival did I discover the honor in store for me, and I took up the challenge of the orange hat.
  The experience of working the line as an ITT is totally different from laying on the mat, and I hope that I was equal to the duties set before me. It was an incredible experience to watch rifleman perfect themselves and persevere to gain their patch, or just better their scores as the day progressed. The heat was beyond description, but under the watchful eyes of the instructors, much water was consumed and breaks were taken as needed. As always, Lisa and Troy, the G-burg logistics team, outdid themselves, and Buttstock, Posterboy, Fuzzy Math and the rest set a high bar for me to follow. GopherBoy was a kind and patient Sensi for a mere ITT on his first line.
  Sunday, Posterboy took the reins of the G-burg Appleseed in his teeth like Rooster Cogburn and had the class grinding away at the AQT's. I can't tell you what a thrill it was to be allowed my first history in Dangerous Old Men, as the historys were what brough me to Appleseed in the first place. The day came to a close with the students making their way to the 500 and putting their new skills to the test to the satisfying ring of rounds ringin off a 18x20 steel.
  All in all, I couldn't ask for a nicer first day!

[.22 Guru]

Greetings fellow Patriots!  As a VERY proud new Rifleman I want to thank all the colored hats for helping me to achieve my goal!  Your hard work and dedication is very cool and much appreciated!  My friends Mark, Travis, Uncle Frank and I had a great weekend!  And thanks to Posterboy and the other guys with the AR and the Garand for lending my their .30 cals and some .223 for the 500 yard range.  I can't tell you how cool it was to hear that "ping" each time.  Music to my ears.  The program works!  I can't make the next 2 Gibsonburg shoots because of work, but I will be there in October with many friends and family.  That is my mission.  Hopefully I'll see everyone there!

[posterboy]

Sorry almost forgot....

Uncle Frank gave a great history and demo of a flint lock rifle. It was based off an actual rifle built back then  what better way to join Morgan's outfit !

thank you sir !

[Ms. Steelcore]

Thank you FM and PB! 

PB... still interested in those targets?

Ms. Steelcore

[Gordon]

Nice writeup, Blindman -- thanks. And by the way, welcome to the RWVA cadre. It's great having you on board. As true a 7th stepper if ever there was one. And I suspect you'll soon emerge as a fine instructor. You inspire me with your passion.

   Sunday, Posterboy took the reins of the G-burg Appleseed in his teeth like Rooster Cogburn and had the class grinding away at the AQT's. ...

Ha, I love it. Posterboy as "Rooster Cogburn". You gettin' this, Mike? Maybe it's your new style, your SB alter ego.

And .22 Guru, congrat's again! I look foward to seeing you and your contingent in October.

-FM